Academic Bulletin 2020-22

PHIL 321 Philosophy of Nature An enquiry into the nature of the physical world based on the philosophy of nature of St. Thomas Aquinas. Includes readings from St. Thomas’s Principles of Nature and his Commentary on Aristotle’s Physics.

PHIL/CECS 322 Plato A reading of several dialogues from different periods of Plato’s development, with reference to Plato’s influence on later philosophy.

PHIL/CECS 323 Aristotle Reading and analysis of extensive selections from the Organon, Physics, On the Soul, Metaphysics, Ethics, and Politics. The magnitude of Aristotle’s philosophical achievements, his profound influence on later ages, and the extent to which his work was used by the medieval schoolmen also will be considered.

PHIL/CECS 324 Philosophy of St. Augustine The background, life, and writings of St. Augustine of Hippo, with special reference to his contributions to philosophy and his influence on Western thought.

PHIL 325 Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas The background, life, and writings of St. Thomas, with special reference to his contributions to the various branches of philosophy.

PHIL 326 The Passions An introduction to the thought of St. Thomas on the passions through a close reading and discussion of selected texts from his writings.

PHIL 327 Philosophy of Psychology An investigation of the rise of modern psychology in the thought of Freud, the way it differs from a Thomistic philosophy of man and the way certain modern thinkers have placed the insights of Freud on a Thomistic basis. Other prominent modern psychologists will also be considered.

PHIL 328 Philosophy of Education An investigation of the nature of teaching and learning with special emphasis on classical and Christian thinkers and a consideration of contemporary problems.

PHIL/THEO 329 Applied Rational Psychology A study of the psychology of the human person using Thomistic principles of human nature. Theory and examples are studied to develop a proper understanding of the science of psychology as subordinated to a proper philosophic understanding of human nature. Defects of modern psychology are examined in so far as they arise from modern misunderstandings of human nature and of what a science is.

PHIL 401 Recent Philosophy A study of philosophy in the 19th and 20th centuries, with selected readings in primary sources. Required of Philosophy majors. Prerequisite: PHIL 302 or permission of the Chairman.

PHIL 403 Epistemology An investigation into the nature of human knowing based on the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas. The course may compare and contrast material from other thinkers.

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